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Two weeks of biding my time. Two weeks of waiting and watching. Waiting… and watching. At this time, I had written several paragraphs of propaganda that I had delivered to the outlying areas around station square. I wanted the people under the thumb of the Union of Order to understand that their freedom was coming. I just hadn't anticipated the outcry of their response to come so quickly.
I was in my quarters resting; something that doesn't come often or for very long to me, when I was disturbed by a clatter of communications on my comms watch. I shook the sleep from my eyes and quickly made my way to the command room where the council had convened and awaited my arrival. Fearing the worst, I braced myself in my chair only to find that the news was good. Civil war had broken out! Unrest had filled the streets like blood from the headsman's axe. I stood and motioned for more silence. I informed my council that this news cannot be taken lightly and that we must ride this out as far and as fast as we can. I called for an immediate gathering of the populace.
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I stood on a platform overlooking a hanger filled with the hopeful faces of men, women, and children. Standing to my left and my right were the Senate leaders, my friends. Yet strangely enough, even in this moment of extreme jubilation, mere minutes before delivering a speech that I had hoped would be the last one given onboard the ARK. I felt completely and totally alone. I took a long hard drink of the water beside my podium as I looked out over the sea of faces and began to speak. As always, the speech is documented below.
** To the Senate, and leaders of the free people of Mobius. This. Is. Your. Finest. Hour. As we speak, the groundwork has been laid for our return to the great land that we hold so dear. Even now, many of our fellow Mobians have vied to throw off the oppressive thumb of the Union of Order and join us as one unified Mobian Empire! This bold decision does not come without a broad sacrifice however. As it stands now, many of our friends and relatives have and will lay down their lives for the call of freedom. This sad fact begs the question. Shall we let their sacrifices be in vain? I thought not. Therefor, even as we speak, shuttles and drop pods are being prepared to return those who will stand and fight to our homeland where we too will join the fray. Today we prepare, tomorrow we fight, and in time we will stand on the golden shores of a united Mobius, a FREE Mobius!
We will rebuild, and we will restore. And then, AND THEN. We will reach out and form other alliances with the soul purpose of stamping out tyranny, hate, and all other evils that threaten the light that is our freedom! Such broad strokes from such a fine brush. Yet when people come together under a noble cause, there is nothing that can stop them. Tonight, my people, hold your spouse, cherish your children and prepare yourself. For tomorrow, we embark on the first of many steps into our grand future! Thank you. **
After everything was said and done. I had once again retired to my quarters. Elektra stood at her pedestal on my desk and readied her information for when I was ready. I suppose I can safely document the strategies I have placed in motion. After all, by the time this is ever read, I am sure that I will either be dead or that the Empire with be standing strong.
My brief return to the parliament building the other day was not just for intelligence gathering. I had an ulterior motive. In placing my pendant into the machine in the basement of the parliament building, I activated a failsafe that I had made many years prior to the fated fall of Station Square. Underneath the Parliament building was an abandoned factory that had laid dormant since Station Square was mainly a rail yard and ferry dock. I had changed this of course by restructuring it and making it virtually undetectable. Not to mention stable enough to handle multiple above ground additions. As I finished renovations, I immediately had a construction plant built. In this plant, I designed a suit of armor that virtually anyone could wear that would in essence make them into a near match to my destroyer class bots. I knew that a human mind could out think and out reason a computer in many ways as a human mind is sentient, ever learning. So, to counter this flaw in my machines in regards to an enemy that may be slightly intelligent, I created the next much needed step in my empire. A suit of armor. A super skin if you will. One that requires no body modifications apart from a sharp mind and a basic diet. I also designed a type of exoskeleton for the standard soldier to use in battle. I had thought that I would have enough time to finish the project. This foolish thinking allowed me to become lazy in my work and as such left me with no options when the final day came.
But, that is then, this is now. My super skins are in full production and the first thousand will be completed by the time we reach the surface. The Blue Typhoon will dock atop the Parliament building to provide cover from any and all resistance that my attack bots cannot handle. (Which of course isn't much.) These first few suits will be issued to Shadow's officers and they will be the leaders of their own platoon of soldiers equipped with the exoskeletons. At this point I cannot help but feel that this is a dream. We are returning home. Not only that, I now see the fire in the hearts and eyes of my people. And that passion is what will make the soldiers of tomorrow. That is something a bot can never grasp… Passion.
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Touchdown went smoothly. The Typhoon gently graced the roof and before any words were spoken, my armies flooded the parliament building from the roof down and made their way into the basement factory clearing each floor as they moved. I had anticipated a number of enemy soldiers being present but I hadn't the slightest concern. The fire that lies within my war-torn people burned hot. This flame is what drove them down the halls clearing each room like a well-oiled machine. This is what it has all been about. All these months of training, strict diets, and muscle building routines. Hours upon hours spent in virtual reality rooms… Shadow has trained them well… All of these things have led to this one point in time where the citizens of the Mobian Empire were able to show the UO just who they stood against. Not a civilian unarmed and defenseless but a standing army led by the call of freedom. I dare say they underestimated us. Still… Had the enemy only known that under their feet was a vast armory… I was lucky this time, but I mustn't gamble with such high stakes again.
I can only imagine the look on the faces of the Order as they witnessed my Typhoon touch base atop the parliament building. I can hardly contain myself even now as I contemplate their fits of rage upon seeing the fine new additions that were added to the building such as a squad of my destroyer class bots guarding every floor, and laser turrets mounted at every corner of the buildings parameter… But I digress.
It wasn't long before the first few Order troops arrived with their arms at the ready. I suspect that they anticipated heavy resistance as they brought troop shields to cover their movements. It was almost sad to see them so unevenly matched by my people. My officers were able to try out their new skins on the barricades as they tore apart the shields as if they were paper. The ground troops outfitted with their exoskeleton armor were faster, stronger, and more agile than even the toughest Order solder. To be blunt, it was a beautiful massacre.
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The plan was simple. Phase one was to retake the capitol city Station Square. This was done with relative ease. The troop count that was sent from the UO was small enough that it was almost an insult to us. I jest of course. Still, I made sure that there were no survivors that could send word to their commanders. As it stands we need all the time I can buy us. Once the battle for Station Square was complete; which took nearly a week, I radioed Shadow to send my house warming gift. This was phase two. During our time on the ARK, I had worked with Shadow to develop segments of a large ring like structure. The project was so secretive that even the scientist that were working on the sections were working in the proverbial dark. I hate to admit it, but Shadow was right, I do appear to be thinking more like him… Again, I digress.
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Operation Binding Ring was a thing of brilliance. Sections of titanium walls that could easily be moved, rotated, added to, or taken away from were constructed to form a great ring around the great city. The walls stood twelve meters high and their individual length was six meters. At the apex, the walls were six meters thick, and at the base they were twelve meters thick. Each segment contained enough defensive firepower that when coupled together, could easily prevent the siege of a large army. The segments were to be flown in groups by the Typhoon after the tracks were placed and aligned. The latter being the time-consuming part. Surprisingly, aligning the track system only took eleven full days. However, with indiscriminate attacks from the UO happing left and right, its needless to say that the time spent was added to with every new attack. Over all the entire operation took around two and a half weeks to finish. This includes the days it took to ship the segments of wall and place them. Not to mention the time it took to get the power supply for the movement system configured properly. Still the walls are ready. And with the Union of Order backing off for a time, (or so it seems) we are preparing a grand "sealing of the wall" ceremony. I cannot believe that I am actually feeling this way but… I am actually, excited. Tomorrow will mark the dawn of a new day for all Mobians. Tomorrow the closing of the walls will signify a sealing of sorts on the promise that has held our hearts for as long as I can remember. Freedom, security, and hope. While these walls are not the hope it themselves, I see them as a catalyst that births that very hope anew. I must resign myself to my bed…heh, my bed. In the Imperial Headquarters. Oh I have missed it so...
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It was a ceremony that will not soon be forgotten. And I mean by both my people, and the UO. Their attack was so easily thwarted that it spawned confusion, regret, and most importantly, fear. Allow me to recap on events of today.
The morning was brisk and cool, I spent the first rays of sunlight going over the speech I had prepared. For recap purposes, I am going to add it below now as opposed to later.
** Ladies, Gentlemen, and allies of the Mobian Empire, the Mobian Senate and your Emperor welcomes you home. Today marks the first of many to come where we officially recognize Station Square as the capitol of the Mobian Empire! It gives me great pleasure to rename out historic city today. Not on the grounds of burying the past but of preserving both past and future. Our city has been called by many names. Station Square, Ground Zero, the capitol wastes, just to name a few. But today, let it be written in the great books of our history. That from this day forward, not only is this place recognized as the capitol city, but also let it be now and forever known as the Citadel of Respite. Today, let the completion of the circle formed by the closing walls be a reminder to both the people of the Empire, and any who desire our downfall that we will not be broken! That we are united under a common goal and on a common ground! We the people of a free Mobius have spoken! Where there are wars, let them cease. Where there is poverty, let it be cured. Where there are broken people and places, let them be rebuilt. And where there is tyranny, let it be crushed. The world ended just a few short years ago, but the world has been reborn! And so too have we. So, embrace this world as you embrace your family and hold true to the hope that there is a tomorrow, and that the future shines as bright as the sun! **
The closing ceremony was delayed. A small brigade of enemy soldiers attacked the walls. (I would say close to about three thousand or so) They had no idea what was in store for them. Due to the fact that there were children present, I had Elektra change the wall turrets to paralyze when they fired. Another design I was happy I added. Basically, if I want to make a point I can set my turrets to in a sense stun them, effectively rendering them immobile for a predetermined amount of time. (The higher the setting the longer the duration).
They had the nerve to order my surrender. I couldn't help myself… I laughed, I laughed whole heartedly, causing the people to begin laughing as well. This in itself was a major kick in their morale as they raised their guns to try and intimidate. That was when it happened. I pressed a button on my comms watch and Elektra did her thing. Twelve turrets protruded from only 4 segments of the wall and leveled their recitals at the enemy. The turrets began firing before the enemy even had a chance to lower their guns. One by one they were rendered immobile. Frozen as if in time itself. The whole altercation took less time than it did for them to arrive, unload, and bark their demands. Now it was my time to bark back.
I basically told them that they were trespassing on Imperial grounds and that their actions would not be tolerated a second time. I ordered them to leave my city and never return and I pardoned their initial attempt at siege. Am I crazy? Not in the slightest. I wanted them to know what I was capable of doing. What I would do to protect my people and my empire. They cried out in terror as I had my turrets pick away at the ground around them. Even the buttons on their sleeves were shot off. I wanted them to know how accurate I could be. I walked out to the commander of the brigade and drew my ceremonial sword and brought it to his neck. I can still see the fear hidden in his eyes. I took my blade from his neck and instead cut the collar from his uniform and put it in my pocket. As I turned to leave I told him that unlike his leader, I know what mercy is, I also told the commander to remember this day as the day that He and his whole platoon was served to me on a platter and I refused to take even one life. I smiled as I walked back to my place in the crowd. I ordered the walls activated and didn't take my eyes off of the commander's until the walls broke my gaze. Message sent I suspect. The rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch, and was uneventful.
Here we are then, as I write my thoughts the night draws ever darker. I do believe its time to end this day along with this entry.